PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM - CP/M to DOS File Transfer Utility
Authored and copyrighted 1981, 1983 by Richard N. Deglin and Roy
Soltoff. All rights reserved. PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM is published by
MISOSYS, Alexandria, VA.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
General Information 2
Distribution Diskette 2
Supported CP/M Disk Formats 3
The PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM Menu 4
Command Details 5
Running PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM From DOS Ready 12
Error Messages 15
Note: CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc.
IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp.
LDOS is a trademark of Logical Systems Incorporated
MAX-80 is a trademark of Lobo Systems, Inc.
TRSDOS and TRS-80 are trademarks of Tandy Corp.
GENERAL
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM is a powerful tool which allows you to transfer
files from various CP/M-formatted diskettes onto selected TRSDOS
or LDOS-formatted disks. Nineteen different CP/M formats are
directly supported under the PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM transfer utility.
You can obtain CP/M disk directories, transfer files, and execute
DOS commands easily and rapidly from the program's menu; these
functions are also executable directly from DOS Ready.
DISTRIBUTION DISKETTE
This documentation covers the operation of both the LDOS 5.1
version (CONV-CPM) and the TRSDOS 6.x/LDOS 6.x version
(PRO-CURE). The CONV-CPM utility is provided on a 35-track single
density data diskette and is operational, under LDOS 5.1.x, on
the TRS-80 Models I, III, and 4, and on the Lobo MAX-80. Certain
CP/M formats may not be supported on the Lobo LX-80 Model I
expansion interface [specifically 512-byte sector formats]. The
PRO-CURE utility is provided on a 40-track single density data
diskette and is operational under TRSDOS 6.x on the TRS-80 Model
4 only.
SUPPORTED CP/M DISK FORMATS
The following CP/M single-sided diskette formats are directly
supported by PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM. No double-sided formats are
readable. All formats are 5-inch mini-floppy, 35- or 40-track,
unless specifically noted otherwise.
1) Cromemco Z-2 double-density
2) DEC VT-180 double-density
3) Heath/Zenith H89 single-density, soft-sectored
4) Heath/Zenith Z100 double-density
5) Holmes VID80 double-density
6) IBM Personal Computer CP/M-86 double-density
7) Kaypro II double-density
8) LNW80 double-density
9) Lobo MAX-80 5-inch double-density
10) Lobo MAX-80 8-inch double-density
11) Memory Merchant Shuffle Board double-density
12) Montezuma Micro Model 4, double-density, 256-byte
sectors
13) Morrow Micro Decision double-density
14) NEC PC-8001A double-density
15) Omikron Mapper I single-density
16) Osborne One single-density
17) Standard IBM-3740, 8-inch single-density, CP/M format
18) Xerox 820-1 single-density
19) Xerox 820-2 double-density
THE PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM MENU
The PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM utility is executed from DOS Ready by
simply typing the following command:
CONVCPM [LDOS 5.1.x]
or PROCURE [TRSDOS 6.x]
The PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM command menu will then be displayed:
CP/M disk type is not set
Control function : et CP/M disk type
isplay CP/M disk directory
ransfer files from CP/M to DOS
ommand DOS
xit to DOS
(S,D,T,C,E)? >
The first line of the menu indicates which CP/M format you have
selected for operations. Initially, this type is not set.
Commands are entered on the prompt line. They may be typed, in
either UPPER-case or lower-case, as any one of the single letters
surrounded by brackets "<>", followed by . The and
keys may be used for correction as necessary.
C0MMAND DETAILS
The following sections describe the function and operation of all
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM commands identified in the menu.
et CP/M disk type
The et command clears the screen and displays a menu of CP/M
formats, any one of which may be selected for subsequent
operations:
Standard CP/M; SSSD,8" Omikron Mapper I;
SSSD,5"
Xerox 820-1; SSSD Xerox 820-2; SSDD
Lobo MAX-80; SSDD,5" Lobo MAX-80; SSDD,8"
Kaypro II; SSDD Osborne-1; SSSD
DEC VT-180; SSDD Montezuma Model 4;
DD,256
IBM PC CP/M-86; SSDD NEC PC-8001A; SSDD
Heath H89; SD,soft-sector Zenith Z100;
SSDD
Cromemco Z-2; SSDD LNW80; SSDD,5"
MM Shuffle Board; SSDD Holmes VID80; SSDD
Morrow MicroDecision; SSDD
Enter type mnemonic? >
The term "SSSD" refers to single-sided single density media while
the term "SSDD" refers to single-sided double-density media
formats. Enter the desired diskette type by keying the
appropriate two-letter mnemonic [the mnemonic is illustrated
within angled brackets "<>"] followed by . You may use
to correct your entry. If you have typed a
recognizable entry, you will be returned to the main menu, and
the selected format will be noted at the top of the screen, above
the menu. Any invalid entry will be ignored. Use the key
to return to the main menu without changing the CP/M disk type.
isplay CP/M disk directory
The isplay directory command reads the target CP/M diskette
and then displays a directory of all or some of the files on that
diskette, sorted by USER AREA and FILE NAME.
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM will first prompt you to:
Enter CP/M drivespec or partspec? >
You may answer this prompt in one of three ways. You can simply
key in the number of the drive in which the CP/M diskette is
mounted, for example . Alternatively, you may enter a CP/M
partial filespec, such as . If you type ,
however, you will return immediately to the main menu.
A Note On CP/M Partial File Specifications
A CP/M PARTSPEC consists of the following
fields:
1)An optional FILE NAME of up to eight
characters;
2)An optional FILE TYPE of up to three
characters, preceded by a period ;
3)A required DRIVE NUMBER (1 through 7),
preceded by a colon .
The FILE NAME and FILE TYPE fields may
contain the standard CP/M-style wildcard
characters > and . The > character
will match any other character in its
position. The character must be the last
character in the FILE NAME or FILE TYPE; it
causes an automatic match for all positions
in the FILE NAME or FILE TYPE including and
following the character.
The FILE NAME or FILE TYPE, if not entered,
will default to all spaces, unless both are
omitted. In this case (i.e., when a CP/M
DRIVESPEC only has been entered), they will
default to ???????.???>, which is
equivalent to .
The next prompt allows you to specify options in response to the
prompt:
Enter parameters or for none? >
These optional parameters may be entered in a fashion similar to
DOS command line parameters. For the isplay directory command,
you may select a
particular CP/M diskette USER AREA, and you can obtain a copy of
the CP/M directory on your printer device. Simply typing
will set the parameters to their default values. As before,
keying will return you to the main menu. The parameters
are entered as follows:
USER=nn Select a directory for USER AREA
nn, where nn = 0 through 15. The
default for this parameter is all
USER AREAs. Abbrev: USER=U
PRINT=switch Select a printed directory listing.
Entering , , or for
switch will cause the directory to
be printed; entering , ,
or will suppress the printout.
The default for this parameter is
OFF. Abbrev: PRINT=P
At this point, PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM will read in the CP/M diskette's
directory, sort it by USER AREA and FILE NAME/TYPE, and display
all files which match the desired PARTSPEC and USER AREA. Each
file is displayed in the following format:
u>nnnnnnnn.ttt sssK
where: "u" represents the USER AREA, in hexadecimal (0-9,
A-F);
"nnnnnnnn.ttt" represents the FILE NAME and TYPE; and
"sssK" represents the FILE SIZE in kilobytes (x1024).
Up to three files will be shown on each display line. If the
PRINT parameter is OFF, PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM will pause when the
screen fills and wait for a keystroke; you may type to
continue the display with the next screen, or to abort.
If the PRINT parameter is ON, the directory display will scroll
continuously without screen pauses.
If the CP/M diskette does not contain any files which match the
desired PARTSPEC and USER AREA, the following message will
appear:
No file(s) found!
In any case, when the directory display is complete, you will be
prompted with the message:
Press any key to continue...
When you have done so, PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM will clear the screen
and return you to the main menu.
ransfer files from CP/M to DOS
The ransfer files command allows you to move files from your
CP/M diskette to the DOS disk. This is the most powerful command
in PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM.
The first prompt of this command is:
Enter source (CP/M) drivespec or partspec? >
This may be answered in the same way as the corresponding prompt
in the isplay directory command; you can enter a CP/M
PARTSPEC, a CP/M DRIVESPEC, or to cancel the command.
The second prompt asks you to:
Enter destination (DOS) drivespec? >
Answer this prompt with the number of the drive onto which you
want the CP/M files copied, such as . This must be an enabled
DOS drive (hard disk or floppy). You may cancel the ransfer
files command at this point by keying .
Finally, you will be prompted:
Enter parameters or for none? >
Enter these optional parameters in a fashion similar to DOS
command line parameters. For the ransfer files command, you
may select a particular CP/M diskette USER AREA, transfer all OLD
or NEW files, or have PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM QUERY you for the
transfer of each CP/M file. Simply typing will set the
parameters to their default values. As described above, keying
will return you to the main menu. The parameters are
entered as follows:
USER=nn Select transfers from USER AREA nn,
where nn = 0 through 15. The
default for this parameter is all
USER AREAs. Abbrev: USER=U
OLD=switch Transfer only files which already
exist on the destination DOS disk.
Entering , , or puts
this qualification into effect,
while , , or causes
the checking for OLD files to be
skipped. The default for this
parameter is OFF. Abbrev: OLD=O
NEW=switch Transfer only files which do not
exist on the destination DOS disk.
Entering , , or puts
this qualification into effect,
while , , or causes
the checking for NEW files to be
skipped. The default for this
parameter is OFF. Abbrev: NEW=N
QUERY=switch Query the user as to whether any
given CP/M file is to be
transferred. Entering , ,
or puts QUERY into effect,
while , , or disables
this option. The default for this
parameter is ON. Abbrev: QUERY=Q
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM will then read in the CP/M diskette's directory
and sort it by USER AREA and FILE NAME/TYPE. Each file which
matches the desired PARTSPEC and USER AREA, as entered above,
then becomes a candidate for transfer. Next, PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM
will check to see if the file exists on the destination DOS
diskette. If the file does exist, and the OLD parameter is ON,
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM continues on to the next step. Similarly, if
the file doesn't exist, and the NEW parameter is ON, the program
continues. If neither case is met, the file is skipped.
At this point, if the QUERY parameter is ON, you will be asked:
Convert file u>nnnnnnnn.ttt?
where "u" is the file's USER AREA and "nnnnnnnn.ttt" is the
file's NAME and TYPE. Answering directs PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM to
then transfer the file. Responding also directs
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM to transfer the file as well as turn the QUERY
parameter OFF for all files remaining to be transferred. Any
other response will cause the file to be skipped.
If the QUERY parameter is OFF, the following message will be
displayed:
Converting file u>nnnnnnnn.ttt
Since CP/M allows special (non-alphanumeric) characters in FILE
NAMEs and FILE TYPEs, PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM must take exceptional
action in such cases. If the QUERY parameter is ON, you will be.
prompted with:
Source CP/M filespec contains special characters
Enter destination DOS filespec? >
Type in the name of a DOS file, without drive number, into which
you wish the CP/M file's contents to be copied. Typing a
at this point will cancel the ransfer files command and return
you to the main menu. If the QUERY parameter is OFF, the
following question will be asked:
Source CP/M filespec contains special characters
Convert this file?
An answer will cause the file to be skipped, while a
answer will proceed to the next prompt:
Enter destination DOS filespec? >
This is to be answered as described above.
Finally, if the OLD parameter is OFF and the QUERY parameter is
ON and the destination file already exists, you will be asked:
File exists -- replace it?
Typing forces PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM to skip this file; typing
will cause the existing DOS file to be overwritten with new data
from the CP/M diskette.
Now PRO-CURE will read the CP/M file's contents into memory and
then write the data out to the DOS disk. If the destination DOS
disk becomes full during this process, you will be notified by:
Disk is full! - enter new output disk
Mount a different DOS diskette (one that has sufficient free
space on it) in the destination drive and press .
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM then will continue its file transfer process.
There are two cases, however, when a full destination disk will
terminate the ransfer files command: if the output drive is a
fixed hard disk; or if PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM is executing as part of
a DO command. The message:
Disk is full - can't continue!
will be displayed if this occurs.
The above sequence of events will be repeated for each CP/M file
which matches the desired PARTSPEC and USER AREA, until no more
are found. The following message will then be displayed:
File transfer complete
Alternatively, if no CP/M files existed on the source disk which
matched these qualifications, then the following message will be
displayed:
No file(s) found!
In any case, you will be prompted with the message:
Press any key to continue...
When you have done so, PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM will clear the screen
and return you to the main menu.
Note that at any time during the file transfer process, pressing
the key will abort the command after the current file has
been completely transferred.
ommand DOS
The ommand DOS function provides access to operating system
commands from the menu level. Your DOS requests should be limited
to library commands [a summary of library commands is normally
obtainable via the DOS command]. You will be prompted to:
Enter DOS command? >
After your command is keyed in, the screen will be cleared and
your command line will be shown at the top of the video display.
The DOS command will then be executed. At its completion, you
will be prompted with the message:
Press any key to continue...
When you have done so, PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM will clear the screen
and return you to the main menu.
xit to DOS
This command provides the means to terminate the
PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM session and return to DOS Ready.
RUNNING PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM FROM DOS READY
Several functions of PRO-CURE/CONV-CPM may be executed directly
from DOS Ready without going through the program menu.
The command line syntax for obtaining the directory of a CP/M
diskette is:
(,DIR,,....)
Type CONVCPM under LDOS 5.1.x
Type PROCURE under TRSDOS 6.x
This is REQUIRED and follows the
rules given in the above
description of the isplay
directory menu command.
This parameter is entered as any
ONE of the CP/M formats listed in
the CPM FORMAT TABLE, and is
REQUIRED.
DIR This parameter informs the program
to execute the directory function,
and is REQUIRED. Abbrev: DIR=D
USER=nn Select a directory for USER AREA
nn, where nn = 0 through 15. The
default for this parameter is all
USER AREAs. Abbrev: USER=U
PRINT=switch Select a printed directory listing.
Typing , , or for
switch will cause the directory to
be printed while entering ,
, or suppresses the
printout. The default for this
parameter is OFF. Abbrev: PRINT=P
In all respects, this command executes identically to the
isplay directory command obtainable from the program menu,
except that upon completion you are returned to DOS Ready.
The command line syntax for transferring files from a CP/M
diskette to a DOS disk is:
(,,,...)
Type CONVCPM under LDOS 5.1.x
Type PROCURE under TRSDOS 6.x
This is REQUIRED and follows the
rules given in the description of
the ransfer files menu command.
This is REQUIRED and follows the
rules given in the description of
the ransfer files menu command.
This parameter is entered as any
ONE of the CP/M formats listed in
the CPM FORMAT TABLE, and is
REQUIRED.
OLD=switch Transfer only files which already
exist on the destination DOS disk.
Typing , , or for
switch puts this qualification into
effect while , , or
causes the checking for OLD files
to be skipped. The default for this
parameter is OFF. Abbrev: OLD=O
NEW=switch Transfer only files which do not
exist on the destination DOS disk.
Typing , , or for
switch puts this qualification into
effect while , , or
causes NEW files to be skipped. The
default for this parameter is OFF.
Abbrev: NEW=N
QUERY=switch Query the user as to whether any
given CP/M file is to be
transferred. Typing , , or
puts QUERY into effect.
Entering , , or
disables this option. The default
for this parameter is ON. Abbrev:
QUERY=Q
USER=nn Select transfers from USER AREA nn,
where nn = 0 through 15. The
default for this parameter is all
USER AREAs. Abbrev: USER=U
In all respects, this command executes identically to the
ransfer files command obtainable from the program menu, except
that upon completion you are returned to DOS Ready.
The parameter, as used in the above DOS command lines, is
entered as a mnemonic [or abbreviation of the mnemonic] for one
of the nineteen supported CP/M diskette formats as illustrated in
the CPM FORMAT TABLE shown below.
CPM FORMAT TABLE
Format Type Parameter Abbrev.
Cromemco Z-2 CROMEM CR
DEC VT-180 VT180 VT
Heath/Zenith H89 HEATH H8
Heath/Zenith Z100 Z100 Z1
Holmes VID80 HOLMES HO
IBM Personal Computer CP/M-86 PC86 PC
Kaypro II KAYPRO KA
LNW80 LNW80 LN
Lobo MAX-80 5-inch L0805 L5
Lobo MAX-80 8-inch LOB08 L8
Memory Merchant Shuffle Board SHUFFL SH
Montezuma Micro Model 4 MONTEZ M4
Morrow Micro Decision MORROW MO
NEC PC-8001A NECPC NE
Omikron Mapper I OMIKRN OM
Osborne One OSBORN OS
Standard 8-inch CP/M format STD8 S8
Xerox 820-1 XEROX1 X1
Xerox 820-2 XEROX2 X2
ERROR MESSAGES
Any one of the following error messages may be displayed:
Invalid CP/M filespec, or missing CP/M drivespec!
An incorrect CP/M PARTSPEC or DRIVESPEC was entered in a DOS
command line, or in response to a prompt requesting same.
Invalid or missing DOS drivespec!
An incorrect DOS DRIVESPEC was entered in a DOS command line, or
in response to a prompt requesting same.
CP/M drive can't be :0!
You cannot read a CP/M diskette in drive 0.
CP/M and DOS can't be same drive!
A file transfer command requires the CP/M and DOS drives to be
different.
Invalid or missing CP/M disk type!
One, and only one, of the acceptable CP/M format parameters was
not entered in a DOS command line requesting a file transfer.
Parameter error!
An invalid parameter keyword was entered, or an ON/OFF-type
parameter was given an illegal value.
Drive is not 5-inch! or Drive is not 8-inch!
The CP/M drive selected was not of the correct size, given the
desired CP/M format.
Not a floppy drive!
The CP/M drive selected was not a 5-inch or 8-inch floppy.
Not a double-density controller!
The floppy controller in your system cannot support the
double-density CP/M format selected.
Invalid CP/M user area!
The USER parameter was entered with a value not in the range <0
to 15>.
Insufficient room for command execution!
You attempted to execute a DOS command from the program menu, but
there is not enough system memory available to do this.
System error messages
Various DOS system error messages may also be displayed; please
see your DOS manual for an explanation if such occurs.